Frank Mooney found an early 1960’s movie “BACHELOR FLAT” with Terry Thomas (English comedy actor) and Tuesday Weld playing a young lovely. It opens with Thomas driving a white, red interior, Series I, wire wheel, Alpine, top down over various streets and byways. A real dumb movie…were we ever really that dumb?
Remember the first James Bond movie “DR.NO” [1962]? 007aggressively drove a siver blue Sunbeam Alpine Series I or II in a chase scene with, of all things a hearse, on the island of Jamaica. His first choice was a Sunbeam Alpine not an Aston Martin.His first woman was Ursala Andress.
Also “BUTTERFIELD 8,” a mid 60’s movie based on John O’Hara’s book staring Liz Taylor as a Park Avenue call girl. Her car of choice from her ill-gotten gains was a Red Sunbeam Alpine, but I can’t remember the Series or that much about the movie. She does crash the car and die on a highway under construction in Yonkers which was the NY StateThruway. She won the Academy Award for best actress. The Alpine must have been totaled but special effects being what they are who knows for sure.
Here are a few other movies that feature the Sunbeam Alpine or its high-performance variant, the Sunbeam Tiger:
Add your ideas in the comments below
- “The Yellow Rolls-Royce” (1964) – This romantic comedy-drama features a Sunbeam Alpine as the car driven by the character played by Shirley MacLaine.
- “The Fast Lady” (1962) – This British comedy film features a Sunbeam Tiger as the car driven by the lead character played by Stanley Baxter.
- “The Spy Who Loved Me” (1977) – Although this James Bond film does not feature a Sunbeam Alpine or Tiger, it does include a scene where Bond drives a white Lotus Esprit that can transform into a submarine. This car is often compared to the Sunbeam Alpine due to its similar appearance.
- “Death Race 2000” (1975) – This dystopian action film features a Sunbeam Alpine as the car driven by the character “Machine Gun” Joe Viterbo, played by Sylvester Stallone.
- “Get Carter” (1971) – This crime thriller features a Sunbeam Alpine as the car driven by the character played by Michael Caine.
It’s worth noting that while the Sunbeam Alpine and Tiger were popular sports cars in their day, they were not as widely used in movies as some other classic cars such as the Ford Mustang or Chevrolet Corvette.
Originally posted by Frank Mooney in the TEAE Forum May 11, 2005
Steve Kirk added:
I watched the original “Get Carter” recently. This film features a Series V GT which sadly ends up in the river. In the film “McVicar” Roger Daltry jumps out of the boot on a red Series V to rob an armoured car.
The film “Commando” Stars a late Series car is featured which ends up being crashed.
Eric Gibeaut added:
In the collection of the Beaulieu Museum archives and there are many Sunbeam images to include the Venezia and the land speed record cars. They offer images for sale (and the price is a little steep) but you can look for free! http://www.motoringpicturelibrary.com/